Malkangiri: In a major success in the battle against Left Wing Extremism (LWE), security forces recovered a major Maoist arms and explosives dump from a forest in Odisha’s Malkangiri district on Monday.
Acting on information obtained from surrendered Maoists, a District Voluntary Force (DVF) team launched an intensive search operation in the forests of Silakota, Perwai and Keskaguda villages under Podia police station limits in the district. The hidden cache of arms and ammunition was found during the operation conducted in the area along the border with Chhattisgarh.
Sources said the recovered materials included three carbines, a country-made pistol, an SBML gun, a broken 12-bore gun, four imp
rovised explosive devices (IEDs), including a six-kilogram IED, and 20 UBGL grenades.
Security personnel also seized 53 rounds of 12-bore ammunition, 18 SBML cells, a sniper telescope, electrical wires, batteries, tools and several items suspected to have been used for the fabrication and maintenance of explosive devices.
The recovery of arms and explosives was made barely one week after security forces unearthed a similar Maoist dump in forested areas of Kirmitti and Katuapadar under Mathili police limits.
Police suspect the recovered weapons, explosives and other incriminating materials belonged to cadres of the Andhra-Odisha Border Special Zonal Committee (AOBSZC) of the CPI (Maoist).
Officials said the cache was likely intended for use in attacks targeting civilians and security forces operating in the region. The recovery comes amid sustained anti-Maoist operations in the district.
According to police, Malkangiri was declared Naxal-free by March 31, 2026, in line with the target set by the Union Home Ministry.
Police said regular combing and search operations are being carried out jointly by the Special Operations Group (SOG), DVF and Border Security Force (BSF) to detect and recover arms, explosives and other materials concealed by Maoists, as part of efforts to prevent any resurgence of LWE activities in the region.